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Ernest Charles Jones
Ernest Charles Jones (25 January 1819 - 26 January 1869) was a Welsh poet and radical politician. Life Overview Jones, the son of Major Jones (equerry to the Duke of Cumberland, afterwards King of Hanover), was born at Berlin. He adopted the views of the Chartists in an extreme form, was imprisoned for 2 years for seditious speeches, and on his release conducted a Chartist newspaper. Afterwards, when the agitation had died down, he returned to his practice as a barrister, which he had deserted, and also wrote largely. He produced a number of novels, including The Maid of Warsaw, Woman's Wrongs, and The Painter of Florence, also some poems, The Battle Day (1855), The Revolt of Hindostan (1857), and Corayda (1859). Some of his lyrics, such as "The Song of the Poor," "The Song of the Day Labourers," and "The Factory Slave," were well known.John William Cousin, "Jones, Ernest Charles," A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London: Dent / New York: Dutton, 1910, 215. Wikisource, Web, Jan. 31, 2018. Youth Jones was born in Berlin, Prussia (now Germany), into a Welsh family, son of Charles Jones, major in the 15th hussars and equerry to Ernest, duke of Cumberland. His father lived on his estate in Holstein, and the son was educated on the continent and attained some distinction at the college of St. Michael, Lüneburg. He wrote some poems before he was 10 years old, which were published by Nesler at Hamburg, and at the age of 11 ran away from home to join the Polish insurgents, but was overtaken and brought back again.Hamilton, 99. In 1838 the family returned to England. Ernest entered upon the life of a man of good means and position, was presented to the queen in 1841 by the Duke of Beaufort, and married Miss Atherley of Barfield, Cumberland. In the same year he published a romantic novel, The Wood Spirit, and engaged successfully in journalism. On 19 April 1844 he was called to the bar at the Middle Temple, but did not practise. Chartism In 1846 he first took the political course which he followed for the rest of his life, and joined the chartist movement. Though he was physically a small man, his powerful voice, his brilliant rhetoric, his dramatic gestures and his flowing speech, made him a most persuasive orator. He attached himself, probably without much serious consideration, to Feargus O'Connor, appeared at the Leeds conference in August 1846, and defended O'Connor against the attacks of Thomas Cooper. He threw himself energetically into the chartist cause, assisted in conducting O'Connor's monthly magazine, the Labourer, in 1847, and wrote in the Northern Star, of which he subsequently became editor. In August 1847 he contested Halifax, and polled 280 votes; he was the delegate for Halifax in the chartist convention in April 1848, and spoke after O'Connor at the monster meeting on Kennington Common. He was now an ardent advocate of physical force, visited Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh to urge the formation of a provisional government and a national guard, and was elected by the chartist national assembly a member of the chartist executive government. He had parted from O'Connor, who was for a peaceful movement. At length, after his seditious speeches at Clerkenwell Green and Bonner's Fields, 29 and 30 May, he was arrested at Manchester, tried at the July sessions of the central criminal court, found guilty, and sentenced to 2 years' imprisonment. In gaol he refused to pick oakum, and was put upon bread and water for 3 days. O'Connor brought this treatment of a political convict before the House of Commons (Hansard, Parl. Debates, 18 June 1849), and was allowed to purchase his exemption from oakum-picking by a small weekly payment.Hamilton, 100. On his release from jail Jones became the principal leader of the disunited remnants of the chartist party, and used his influence strongly against O'Connor, whom he described under the name of "Simon de Brassier" in his "History of a Democratic Movement," published in Notes to the People. He lectured up and down the country, advocated a communistic plan of dealing with property in the chartist convention of 1851, again contested Halifax in 1852, (obtaining 51 votes), and became editor of the chartist paper, The People's Paper, at the same time. Later writing and radicalism But chartism was practically extinct. By 1854 he was almost its only lecturer; he was at feud with several other chartist leaders, and henceforth passed into the ranks of the advanced radical party, advocating a land-reform scheme of his own of an indefinite nationalising character. In 1853 and 1857 he contested Nottingham. He devoted himself to law and letters, joined the northern circuit, and obtained some criminal practice. Between 1853 and 1855 he published a fiercely sensational novel, called The Lass and the Lady; and a number of tales entitled respectively Lord Lindsay, The Maid of Warsaw, Woman's Wrongs, My Life, Beldagan Church, and The Painter of Florence. In 1855 appeared The Battle Day, and other poems, of which Landor wrote to him: "It is noble; Byron would have envied, Scott would have applauded." In 1856 he wrote The Emperor's Vigil, and published Evenings with the People, a series of political addresses. In 1857 he published The Revolt of Hindostan, said to have been written in prison with his own blood on the loose leaves of a torn prayer-book in 1848 and 1849, and privately printed in 1850; in 1859 he wrote Corayda, and other poems. In 1867 he published a lecture on labour and capital, which he had delivered in several towns during that year. He was on the point of contesting Manchester, where he resided, as the radical candidate, and had almost a certainty of success, when he died suddenly at Higher Broughton, Manchester, on 26 Jan. 1869, and was buried with an imposing public funeral at Ardwick cemetery on 30 Jan. He left little or no property, and a public fund was raised for the benefit of his children. He was generally regarded, even by strong political opponents (e.g. Times, 27 March 1869), as a thoroughly disinterested, if mistaken, politician, and personally he was attractive and winning. It was currently said and generally believed that he had sacrificed his property to the chartist cause, and had refused a relation's offer of a large fortune on account of the condition attached to it, that he should renounce his political views. But his former chartist colleagues freely denied both his disinterestedness and his sincerity. Writing As a poet he had much lyrical ability; his prose writings are of small value. His political songs, of which the best are "The Song of the Poor," "The Song of the Day-labourers," "The Song of the Factory-slave," and "The Song of the Poorer Classes," displayed considerable lyrical power, and were highly successful. Publications Poetry * Infantine effusions. Hamburg, Germany: F.H. Nestler, 1830. Digitalisat *''Chartist Songs, and fugitive pieces''. London?: 1848. *''Rhymes on the Times''. London: T. Brettell, 1852. *''The Battle Day, and other poems. London: Routledge, 1855. *''The Revolt of Hindostan; or, The new world: A poem. London: Effingham, Wilson, 1857; Calcutta: Eastern Trading, 1957. *''Corayda. A tale of faith and chivalry; and other poems''. London: W. Kent, 1860. Digitalisat Novels *''The Wood-Spirit. A novel''. London: T.W. Boone, 1841. Band 1 Digitalisat *''The Maid of Warsaw; or, The tyrant czar: A tale of the last Polish insurrection''. London: G. Pavey, 1854. *''The Lass and the Lady'' (unfinished; completed by Thomas Fox). Londdon: McGowan, 1855. Short fiction * Woman's Wrongs. A series of tales. London: 1855 **(edited by Ian Haywood). Aldershot, Hants, UK / Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2001. Non-fiction *''The Workman and His Work: An address''. London: "People's Paper", 1856. * The Franchise and Taxation: An address. London: "People's Paper", 1856. Digitalisat *''Evenings with the People: The state church: An address''. London: Ernest Jones, 1856. * Evenings with the people. The unemployed. London 1857''Beiträge zur Marx-Engels-Forschung'' 8. Berlin 1981, p. 99 Nro. 427. *''Democracy Vindicated: A lecture. Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot ; London: W. Ridgway / Glasgow: James Nimmo / Manchester, UK: John Heywood, 1867. *''Ernest Jones: Chartist. Selections from the writings and speeches (edited by J. Saville). London: Lawrence & Wishart, 1952. Edited The Labourer; A monthly magazin of politics, literature, poetry & c. (edited with Fergus O'Conner). London: Northern Star office, 1847- **''The Labourer; A monthly magazin of politics, literature, poetry & c.'' Bd. 1. Northern Star Office, Manchester 1847 Digitalisat **''The Labourer; A monthly magazin of politics, literature, poetry & c.'' Bd. 2. Northern Star Office, Manchester 1847 Digitalisat **''The Labourer; A monthly magazin of politics, literature, poetry & c.'' Nd. 3. Northern Star Office, Manchester 1848 Digitalisat **''The Labourer; A monthly magazin of politics, literature, poetry & c.'' Northern Star Office, Manchester 1848 Digitalisat **Westport, CT: Greenwood Reprint, 1970. *''Notes to the People. The champion of political justice and universal right''. London: Pavey, 1851- Digitalisat 1851 **New York: Barnes & Noble, 1968. Journal *''Diary of Ernest Jones, 1839-1847''. London: Communist Party of Great Britain History Group (Our history 21), 1961.x Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Ernest Charles Jones, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Feb. 14, 2017. Articles * Co-operation. In: Notes to the People. Nro. 21. September, 20th 1851printed in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 11, pp. 464–469. * Three to One. In: Notes to the People. Nro. 26 25 September 1851Vprinted abgedruckt in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 11, pp. 470–472. * What Is Kossuth? In: Notes to the People. Nro. 31 vom 29 November 1851printed in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 11, pp. 473–477. * Erklärung gegen Karl Heinzen. Übersetzt von Jenny Marx. London March 1852, 3rd.printed in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 11, pp. 478–479. * The Coming Crisis and why It Is Coming. In: Notes to the People. Nro. 16 August, 21st 1852printed in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 11, S. 492–494. * The Storm's First Thunder. In: Notes to the People. Nro. 42 February, 19th 1853printed in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 12, pp. 575–578. * A Phamphlet on the „Revelations Concerning the Trial of the Communists at Cololone“. In: Notes to the People. Nro. 47 26. 26 March 1853printed in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 12, p. 579. * Secret Intrigue of Russian Tools, and Scandalous Doings of „Our“ Cabinet in the East. In: Notes to the People. Nro. 86 24. Dezember, 24th 1853printed in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 12, S. 634–636. * Different Features of Popular Feeling. In: Notes to the People. Nro. 103 April, 22nd 1854printed in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 13, pp. 589–591. * Discoveries Made Too Late. In: Notes to the People. Nro. 130 28. Oktober, 28th 1854printed in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe. Abteilung I. Band 13, pp. 592–595. See also *List of British poets References * . Wikisource, Web, Feb. 14, 2017. Notes External links ;Poems *"Earth's Burdens" in A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895 *The Poetry of Ernest Jones at Gerald-Massey.org ;Books *Ursula Stange: Annotated Bibliography on Chartism and Ernest Charles Jones * ;Audio / video *"The Song of the Lower Classes,"'' set to music and recorded by Martin Carthy ;About *Chartist Ancestors: Where Are They Now includes an account of Jones's funeral *Ernest Charles Jones: Chartist and Reformer – biography & selected writings at Gerald-Massey.org. * Jones, Ernest Charles Category:1819 births Category:1869 deaths Category:Chartists Category:British poets Category:British socialists Category:English socialists Category:British male writers Category:19th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:English poets Category:Poets